NATURE
MONCTON NATURE NEWS
May 26,
2022 (Thursday)
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Edited by:
Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com
**Catherine
Hamilton made a very productive visit to the Salisbury Wetlands Park on
Wednesday morning. She was surprised to see 5 River Otters swimming
contentedly about as otters do.
Catherine’s
visit also included audiences with Common Gallinules, Baltimore Oriole,
Virginia Rail, a first year male Orchard Oriole (the much less common of
our two oriole species), and Common Gallinules.
A very
rewarding visit indeed!
The Salisbury
Wetlands Park is becoming a real destination.
**Louise Nichols found a number of elfin butterflies
flying in their Aulac bog Wednesday. Two of them she photographed were Henry's
Elfins, a more rare species for the Maritimes. She notes that she found a
Henry's Elfin at this time last year as well, so maybe they are regular at this
location. She also includes a photo of a Brown Elfin for
comparison. On the screen door of their greenhouse, Louise discovered her
first large sphinx moth of the year which is a Northern Apple Sphinx.
Later in the afternoon, she was walking through the woods when she heard the
high-pitched call of Golden-crowned Kinglets. She looked up and
saw two kinglets on the branch of a Tamarack, dancing around one another,
seemingly agitated, with their orange crests on full display. Louise
suspects that this was a territory dispute between two males. One seemed
to dominate and consistently stared the other down with crest flaring.
The standoff continued for quite some time. Louise comments that she has
never seen such a full display of the orange crests.
**Bob Blake
in Second North River comments it’s nice to have a Yellow- Bellied Sapsucker taking suet
to it’s nestlings and all their Downy Woodpeckers and Hairy Woodpeckers seem to
be doing the same.
**Brian Stone went to Wilson Marsh on Monday afternoon to look for warblers and heard many but saw few. The birds seemed quite happy to stay out of sight and go about their business anonymously. Birds seen were a Wilson's Warbler keeping to the shadows in an old apple tree, a female Black and White Warbler, a male Common Yellowthroat Warbler, a female American Redstart, a female Red-winged Blackbird, and a Canada Goose family with a large brood of goslings. Maybe a community brood?
Also seen was a Four-spotted Skimmer Dragonfly.
**Brian Stone went through Mapleton Park to the ponds from the Gorge Rd. and found a few subjects to view and photograph. The apple trees were in bloom and Cedar Waxwings were eating the blossoms along with a female Red-winged Blackbird.
Brian saw 2 Gray Catbirds and photographed one of them. An Eastern Phoebe perched long enough for a photo and a Pileated Woodpecker showed itself to Brian for the first time this year. A Canada Goose family were keeping dry up on the trail with their Goslings and hissed a bit at Brian as he carefully walked past but did not display any other forms of aggression.
Some smaller critters
photographed were a Paper Wasp, a Northern Azure Butterfly, a Bluish
Spring Moth and a White-striped Black Moth. The Nodding Trilliums
were blooming along a side trail as well as some Starflowers.
**Nelson
Poirier had a bull Moose meander by his trail camera on Tuesday night.
It is already starting to show a good start on what will become a huge wrack of
antler. The animal appears in quite good condition to suggest it survived the Winter
Tick load okay.
Again, Turkey
Vultures and Corvids were in competition for a meal. Take a look at the
action at the attached links:
**Nelson Poirier photographed a group of Smooth Yellow Violets on
Tuesday. He very rarely sees this violet in New Brunswick, yet Hinds ‘Flora of
New Brunswick’ reports it as common in some areas. This clump was transplanted
from the Woodstock area many years ago and has always bloomed yearly but never
spreads.
Nelson also
photographed the forming fertile portions of the Interrupted Fern frond
forming.
Nelson Poirier
Nature Moncton
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